


the moon is full and wide and makes the waters rise

by problematiquefave



Series: AUgust 2020 [10]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/M, Historical Inaccuracy, Minor Character Death, Minor Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25836247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/problematiquefave/pseuds/problematiquefave
Summary: Kira experiences two miracles in a matter of hours. The first is surviving being mutinied off her own ship. The second is finding herself on The Beacon, surrounded by its crew of strays and its handsome captain – Scott McCall.
Relationships: Scott McCall/Kira Yukimura
Series: AUgust 2020 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859875
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14
Collections: AUgust 2020





	the moon is full and wide and makes the waters rise

Crashing waves churn the sea and her stomach yet Kira can’t look away. The water, a dark, nearly grey color, beckons her. Jeering and shouting come from behind her – daring her to jump, calling her a coward for not doing so, complaining about how long it’s taking.

_Can they blame her?_

Whether they can or can’t, they will. Although never one for the ruckus, how many times had she stood with them, heady with anticipation? On a pirate ship in open waters, someone walking the plank was one of the most exciting things that could happen. Sea battles, ship raids, and mutinies were also up there, the last of which had led to this moment.

The cajoling crew, the ship that she was about to walk right off of – it had been hers, until First Mate Theo Raeken took it from her.

The temptation to look back at him is consuming but she knows what she’ll find if she does. There will be ice in his eyes, cruelty in his grin. No mercy, no compassion. She had stood there countless times with that same expression. Dozens of prisoners, navy officers, and traitors had walked this plank under her dark gaze. Kira won’t give him the same triumph she felt in those moments – when the doomed person looked back at her, begging for their life with their eyes.

Sucking in a deep breath that rattles her ribcage, she puts one foot forward. The board shakes beneath her feet; with one more step, all that remains is the wind whistling in her ears and the quickly rising sea.

She should’ve seen it coming.

Four years prior, she had rescued Theo from a debtor’s ship known as _The Dread_. He had been one among many she freed and had a similar story to the rest. When he was boy, ten or so, his sister-guardian’s debtors came calling. When she had no cash to provide them, they took him and sold him to the captains of _The Dread_. There he worked, day after day, every petty infraction adding to his debt. Unlike many who ended up on a debtor’s ship, he adapted and rose through the ship’s ranks, eventually becoming trusted by the captains – but as soon as _The Kitsune_ boarded _The Dread_ , he turned his cutlass on those that held him in bondage. When the ship was left to sink with the bodies of those who’d been loyal to it until the end, he pleaded to join her crew.

That same story was why, even knowing what he was capable of, she had trusted him. Because he had _reasons_. She would’ve done the same in his position – toil away the days until she could take her freedom back in her own calloused hands. It was ambition to save his skin. It was a justified betrayal because they were slavers and debtors.

So, what is she?

Kira doesn’t remember much after she hits the water. The pain and the cold are all that linger; perhaps that’s because every organ aches and she’s wrapped in soaking wet clothes. Oh, and because she’s alive to feel all of that.

Her eyes flutter open, squinting against the light. It spills through a smudged window, illuminating a small room with wood paneling from floor to ceiling. A cough rips through her throat, causing a stabbing pain in her already sore chest.

With ginger movements, Kira pushes herself up. Her feet hit the ground with a squelch. Questions race through her mind but her first priority is finding dry clothes. As she stands on trembling legs, the familiar sway of a ship at becomes apparent. She grabs the wall as a large wave rolls into the side of the ship. Although she can’t see it, she’s lived so much of her life on the sea that she knows every movement by heart.

She’s taken a few more steps towards the door when it swings open; a square-faced woman with shoulder-length dark hair appears in the frame. Behind her, Kira catches a glimpse of grey skies. In her hands is a bundle of cloth. The woman’s eyebrows shoot up into her hairline when she spots Kira.

“You’re awake.”

“Yeah,” she responds weakly.

After taking a second to process it, she kicks the door shut behind her. “Sit,” she says, motioning to the bed Kira had just gotten up from. “I don’t know how you’re awake, let alone alive, but you should take it easy after whatever miracle you just pulled.”

It’s a fair assessment. The woman lingers beside her as Kira makes the short trek back to the bed, ready to catch her if her knees buckled. Had this been one of her crewmates, she would’ve snapped at them from being a mother hen; since it’s not, she knows to bite her tongue for someone who saved her from almost certain death.

“Can you change yourself?” she asks, handing Kira the clothes like she already knows the answer. She nods and the woman steps back, turning her face away.

Kira’s fingers shake as strips out of her wet clothing. As it takes longer to undress and redress than it ever has in her life, the silence weighs on her shoulders. To stop her stomach from twisting itself into knots, she asks, “How did you find me?”

“Liam spotted you,” the woman replies, staring at an unremarkable spot on the wall. “You were clinging to a piece of driftwood. We thought you might’ve come from a shipwreck, but we didn’t see anyone else.”

“There wasn’t a shipwreck.” The driftwood is new information to her but she remembers coming up for air. She probably swam. That’s what her mother taught her – one among many lessons on how to survive the sea. Dive, rise, breathe, swim. Finishing with the last button, she looks back up at the woman. “I’m done. What’s your name?”

“Allison,” she says, turning to meet Kira’s gaze. “Quartermaster of _The Beacon_. Who are you?”

“Kira. I—” The words sit on the tip of her tongue, too heavy to speak or hide. “I _was_ captain of _The Kitsune_.”

Allison’s cocks a brow. “Daughter of Noshiko?”

“The one and only.”

“If your half as good as they say your mother was, then it explains the miracle.” Kira’s first instinct is to argue; she’s never been fond of comparisons to her mother, even if she’s grateful for all the woman taught her. Besides, her mother never got mutinied by her own crew. However, Allison’s expression doesn’t invite response and she’s quick to add, “Are you hungry? You swallowed a lot of water, but it would best if you got something in you.”

“I can try.”

With a nod, Allison pivots on her heel. She doesn’t ask if Kira wants to come with her or if there’s anything else she needs. It doesn’t take her long to return with food and water.

The water, clear and salt-free, soothes the dull throbbing in her temples. She gulps it down in stark contrast to the hardtack she nibbles at. Then again, it’s hardtack. Even starving men aren’t happy to eat it.

Allison apologizes for the lack of anything more substantive – they hadn’t been to port in a while, she explains, adding that that’s where they’re headed. Unsure of whether she could stomach something more substantive, Kira doesn’t mind. After that, Allison leaves again – checking on her twice more as the sky outside her window shifts from bright blue to the dying embers of twilight.

In the morning, it’s not Allison who greets her.

His crooked jaw is the first thing she notices – and despite it, the small smile he offers is anything but crooked.

“Sorry I didn’t introduce myself yesterday,” he says in a low tone as he approaches her. “I’m Scott, captain of this vessel.” He holds his hand out as he introduces himself. After she shakes it, he pulls a chair up in front of her bed and sits. “So, Kira, uh—Allison told me your name.”

“And who I am?”

“Yeah.” She thinks she hears a tinge of guilt in his voice but that would be silly. What’s he guilty of? Wanting to know who he hauled aboard his ship? Allison’s questioning would’ve been a joke on _The Kitsune_. “Yeah, uh… She didn’t tell me how you go here though. Implied some things, but—”

Kira has never met a captain so nervous.

“Do I scare you?” she asks. It’s a bizarre question considering everything that had happened. Considering the seawater tangles in her hair and the rasp in her throat. There were people who feared her but mostly because they knew the legends of her mother. Kira knows how to be hard –how to be merciless to those who stood in the way of her life – but she’s rarely cruel. _The Dread_ is a good example of the ships she liked to target.

“No,” he answers, “but Allison is the better interrogator. She’s an Argent.”

Kira’s eyes go wide. “An _Argent_? Of the French royal navy variety?”

He nods.

Her lips part but the words don’t come. In the water, the Argents are as legendary as her family. Despite not being pirates, some of the stories about them make her mother look like a kitten in comparison. “That’s a story I want to know,” she finally says with a breathy laugh.

“It’s a good one. But…” He picks at the skin of his thumb. “I want to know your story.”

His question isn’t a shock; how easily the answer comes to her is. “Mutiny.” His shoulders straighten and she doesn’t blame him. That’s a bad word on a ship. “My first mate went behind my back and convinced my crew that they’d do a lot better without me. He’s a good talker. Always knows the right words.” She sighs. Her voice drops to a whisper. “Not his first betrayal.”

Scott frowns at her. “And he was still you first mate?”

“I thought it was justified but—Now I feel like a fool.”

Kira rarely likes long silences. She’s been told her habit of filling them with chatter is annoying on more than on occasion. Her mother said it nicer than anyone else; Theo said it most often. But in that moment, she needs it to swallow the guilt, anger, and grief.

Before swallowing becomes drowning, Scott speaks. “I don’t know—I _can’t_ know what you’re going through. I _can_ promise safety and aid so long as you’re on my ship.” Kira’s lips twitch. She knows this spiel; she’s _given_ this spiel. “We’ll dock in Nassau in a few days’ time. If you choose to leave us then, I’ll help you find accommodations.” He blinks. “If you need the help, that is. I’m guessing you’re familiar with Nassau.”

She grins at him. “Just a bit.”

“Should’ve figured.” He pats his knee before standing. The air between them is lighter now, her lungs struggling slightly less to breathe. “Do you feel up to breakfast? Rations are thin but we’ve got more than just hardtack.”

“And yet…”

He shrugs. “She didn’t think you could stomach much. Or maybe Allison’s a little stingy.”

“Maybe both,” she says. She stretches, cracking her neck and shoulder joints. “I’d like to get out of here though. Feel the breeze, at least.”

Scott holds his hand out to her, bearing her weight as she gets to her feet and leading her out of the cabin.

The familiarity of the crew quarters hits her like a trade wind. She expects to see Theo, Mills, Liza, and the others, but these aren’t the face she’s grown sickeningly familiar with – the ones she’d recognize if blinded. She knows Allison at least; her arms are crossed over her chest, grinning as she speaks to a tall, wavy-haired fellow who appears to be dishing up rations. A blonde woman (who was _not_ afraid of showing what nature gave her) had her arm wrapped around the shoulders of a man who may have actually been a boy. In her other hand was a mug of rum that she gestures wildly with while speaking to two other men.

The man-boy spots them first. “You’re awake!” He jumps to his feet, bumping the table. One of the men the blonde was talking to grunts and shoves the table back. “Sorry,” he mutters, and Kira’s not sure if it’s directed at her or him.

“Liam, this is Kira,” Scott says, gesturing between them. “Kira, this—”

“—Is the one that spotted me.” Liam blinks at her. “Allison mentioned your name.”

“And did she mention mine?” The blonde asks, her mug hitting the table with a loud thunk. Rum sloshes over the rim.

“No,” she says, shaking her head.

“It’s Erica. And this sweet, compassionate, and dare I say handsome man”—she points to one of the men, dark-skinned with broad shoulders—“is my husband Boyd. The other one is Jackson.” Jackson is light-skinned with an angular face. Erica’s not done with the introductions though. Slapping Liam’s thigh, she says, “You know this one, you know Allison, and our pretty boy cook is Isaac.” Isaac’s eyes narrow at Erica. “Stiles and Malia are definitely still asleep – should’ve heard ‘em going at it last night. Lydia, Danny, and Derek are on the deck.”

“That’s everyone?” It’s a small crew.

Erica nods. “Everyone who sails with us now, at least, but Scott likes picking up strays, so you never know.” Kira glances at Scott’s face, searching his face for a response to that. She’s not sure if it’s her imagination or if there’s a hint of embarrassment.

“Here,” a new voice calls. Isaac holds out a plate with an expectant expression. The rations are meager, but they’ll satisfy. She takes the plate with a thanks, turning to the table and seeing that Erica and Liam have scooted down to give her room.

“I’ll finish anything you don’t,” Erica says, winking as Kira sits next to her.

Jackson chimes in with a, “Good to see you’re looking better.” Boyd seconds it with a nod and Liam agrees with awkward overenthusiasm. Kira is struck by the welcoming reactions. Her crew wouldn’t have treated a stranger so kindly. Their reactions would’ve ranged from cold indifference to outright hostility. She suspects that’s not unique to her crew – that most pirate ships would be wary of a stranger. She wonders if they were the odd ones out because they were ‘strays’. Regardless, it seems her luck had extended to more than just surviving.

There’s no distant land, no small islands to mark these waters as familiar but, as Kira looks out to the horizon while standing on the deck, she knows them by heart. How many times had she sailed the route to Nassau? It was a frequent stop for _The Kitsune_ though that was likely true of any ship that sailed the Caribbean.

While the route is familiar, the journey isn’t. Not counting the events that had led her to board _The Beacon_ or the strange faces she’s still getting to know, she’s never been so idle on this route. She knows how a ship works, knows that there must be something for her to do, but she’s shooed away every time she asks. Allison told her to take it easy but there’s a difference between that and doing nothing at all. The former is good for recovery, the latter leaves her alone with all the thoughts that haunt her.

_Had there been signs?_

_How many lies had they told her?_

_Could she have fixed things if she knew?_

Memories play on loop in her head so many times that she’s no longer sure if she’s analyzing what happened or what she wishes happened. It’s a worthless endeavor; taking back a ship that’s thrown you overboard is a Herculean feat. She’d need to gather an experienced crew without money or a ship to entice them. Considering her luck, _maybe_ she can but it’s unlikely. If she were to give up _The Kitsune_ , it would take years to get herself reestablished with a new crew and ship.

As thoughts of what she’ll do when she gets to Nassau compete like mutts over carrion, she sighs and rests her elbows on the railing. She doesn’t notice Scott approach her from behind.

“We’ll dock first thing tomorrow,” he says, resting a hand on the railing. She looks up, meeting his warm gaze. “Thought about what you’ll do?”

“Can’t stop,” she mutters, turning back to the sea. “Too many options to weigh and decisions to make.”

“Do you think you’ll continue to sail?”

Her brow creases. Most, if not all, of her considerations had focused on the idea that she would. She hadn’t contemplated a life on land since she was a child. Back then, people would talk to her like it was a sure thing she’d follow in her mother’s footsteps. She’d thrown tantrums in rebellion but she’d done just that in the end.

What would she even do on land?

Straightening up, she shakes her head. “I don’t think there’s room for me on land.” She continues at the sight of his confused expression. “All my life, I was taught to be a pirate – _how_ to be a pirate. My father was a bookseller, and he took care of me when I was too young to sail, but even he didn’t expect me to follow in his footsteps. I don’t have the skills for anything else – definitely nothing ladylike.”

“You could learn to do something else.”

“I—I could, I guess, but I don’t want to,” she admits. Her insides twist at the thought of apprenticing under someone like her father or trying to fit herself into society. She embraced this life too long ago to look back.

He nods. The empathy in his eyes sets her nerves at ease. His gentleness is dangerous, she thinks.

“Then do you plan to get your ship back?” he asks, distracting her from her observation.

“It wouldn’t be easy.” The twitch of his lips suggests no explanation is needed. Although she doubts Scott has ever had to do it – just as she hasn’t – he understands the basic logistics behind it.

“Well, if you don’t plan to stay on land and can’t manage to get _The Kitsune_ back, you’re welcome to sail with us.” She chuckles softly but his expression doesn’t falter. “I can’t offer you the captain position, but you’ve seen what we’re like – hierarchy doesn’t mean much to us.”

She had noticed. Stiles had a bad habit of speaking over Scott and the captain could do little when he and Isaac got to snarking at each other. It was a refreshing dynamic; nothing like that would’ve worked on her ship.

“I’ll consider it,” she says after a moment of hesitation.

“That’s all I ask.”

Sleep is elusive overnight. Every mile closer to Nassau strengthens her need to decide – because, once she’s there, she’ll have to act. If she chooses to take back her ship, she’ll have to find incentive for those who help her – same thing if she chooses to start anew. In the unlikely case she decides to stay on land, she’ll need to find accommodation and work. Food isn’t free. And if she joins _The Beacon_ , she’ll have to do so before they set sail again.

Kira stumbles onto the deck just as the first rays of light breach the horizon. Standing at the railing, she can see Nassau in the distance and another ship much closer to docking. Said ship is too far off for her to recognize as pirate, merchant, or navy.

She heads up towards Jackson at the wheel, asking if he needs anything. He waves her off. As she turns away from him, she spots others streaming onto the deck. She still hates sitting back and waiting but it’s what she ends up doing as _The Beacon_ is prepared for port.

At the dock, inspection takes longer than usual. She doesn’t get a good look at Scott’s papers and can’t hear his conversation with the inspector. A sigh of relief escapes her when Scott shakes the man’s hand with a smile and returns to the deck.

“Navy’s cracking down on the area,” he explains. He shoots Kira a grin. “Luckily, we’ve got legitimate business here.” Turning back to his crew, he orders them to get to work.

Even though it’s just hauling stock up from below deck, they finally let her help.

“Thought you’d want to be the first one off,” Scott asks her as she heaves a crate on top of another.

She shakes her head. “Nowhere else to go.”

Unloading is only a temporary reprieve from that dilemma, however. With their efforts combined, the goods are brought up and loaded for their final delivery in no time at all. She finds herself on the dock, the city of Nassau waiting for her.

She glances back at Scott, who’s just finished speaking with Allison. “What time do you leave?”

“Two days from now – noon.”

“Maybe I’ll see you before then,” she says.

He puts a hand on his hip. “Offer is still on the table.”

“I know.” Turning to fully face him, she sticks her hand out. “But in case I don’t take it – _thank you_.”

“Kira?”

The shock in Lori’s voice – her wide eyes, parted lips – causes Kira’s brow to furrow. Her eyes scan the room, shoulders straightening as she meets the gazes of various tavern patrons. Lori’s hug knocks the air out of her lungs before she can ask what’s going on.

“ _Oh my god_ ,” she breathes, gripping Kira’s arm with white-knuckled fists. “You’re alive! She’s alive!”

A few of the patrons raise their mugs with grumbled cheers. She recognizes some of their faces, other pirates who are also regulars of _The Three Stones_. Looking down at Lori, the confusion is evident on Kira’s features as she extracts herself from her grip.

“What’s going on?”

This time, it’s Lori’s that wears the confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re acting like I died.”

“Well, _The Kitsune_ —” She screws up her face, leaning closer and dropping her voice to a whisper. “It sunk, right? The rumors and the navy officers…”

“I—” She shakes her head. “I wasn’t on it.”

“You weren’t on it?” When she doesn’t contradict herself, Lori tugs her towards the bar. She shoos a man out of his seat at the end and pushes Kira into it. The well-worn leather is still warm against her rear. “What do you mean you weren’t on it?” Lori asks, leaning against the counter.

She sucks in a sharp breath through her nose. “My crew threw me overboard,” she says in a hushed voice.

“No.” Kira doesn’t blink as she waits for Lori to process her shock. “But—Theo? He wouldn’t do that.”

“He did,” she says, shrugging.

“And you survived?”

Her mind flashes back to waking up on _The Beacon_ – to her conversation with Allison. “I’m my mother’s daughter. Not easy to kill.”

“Oh, _wow_.”

Kira gives her a moment to process before asking about _The Kitsune_. “You mentioned the navy?”

She nods. “They’ve ramped up their presence recently. Lot of ships been having troubles with them. One of the navy ships docked recently – heavily damaged, spreading rumors that they’d taken on _The Kitsune_ and won. None of the officers seemed to contradict themselves so…”

“No reason to think they’re lying,” Kira finishes. Her eyes focus on a chip in the counter as she repeats the words in her head. She’s already heard about the navy. She’s heard similar rumors in the past – they almost always turn out true. Yet, if that’s the case here, it means—

It means there’s no ship to take, no crew to win back, no revenge to have.

_The Kitsune_ is gone and her list of options shrinks significantly.

“Do you have a room to spare for the night?” she asks, not looking up.

“Of course.”

It’s another night of little sleep.

Lori takes her up to a small room above _The Three Stones_ ; it has a single bed, a desk shoved under a window, and a fireplace. She tells Kira to make herself at home while she lets Satomi know what’s up. Later, she comes back with a plate of freshly made food – meat, mash, and peas. Kira sits at the desk and picks at her meal, staring through the smudged windowpane at the city below.

She could probably get a job at _The Three Stones_ in exchange for room and a pittance. Lots of pirates hang around the tavern; she could ingratiate herself with an established crew or find enough mercenaries to take on. She could scour the city for someone willing to take a chance on her name – provide a ship and a job, not question what happened to her old one.

She could still get the job at _The Three Stones_ and look into another way of life as well. Find a bookseller willing to teach her printing and binding. Find a shoemaker willing to teach her leatherworking and sewing. Find _any_ tradesman looking for an apprentice that doesn’t mind her gender and doesn’t ask her where she comes from.

Or…

Or she could go down to the dock, board _The Beacon_ , and take Scott up on his offer.

The city darkens as thoughts race through her mind. She sees the sensible, upstanding citizens of Nassau slip inside for the night. She sees the drunken sailors stumble into taverns and, later, miraculously make their way to their lodgings. She sees scarlet women standing on street corners, jutting out their hips for said sailors. The last one leaves with her mark and all that remains on the cobblestones are stray cats and rats.

The choice becomes clear. Grief swaddles her but it’s not because of the choice – it’s a nice one, actually. It’s the fact she’ll never step foot on _The Kitsune_ again. She’ll never be able to show Theo and her old crew she was right all along.

When she finally sleeps, she dreams of them. Not of the wreck, not of the dead, not of the mutiny. She dreams of them on a good day – and then she dreams no more.

“Kira.” There’s a scratch in Scott’s voice but his grin is wide, soft around the edges, and delight twinkles in his eyes. “Bit early, isn’t it?”

“On a ship?” she asks. “ _Never_.”

It pulls a chuckle from his throat that curls her lips. “Come to say goodbye?”

She steps towards him, tilting her head back and jutting out her chin. “Hardly. I’ve come to join you, _Captain_.”

His expression falters for a moment, as if he’d never expected her to take him up on the offer. He recovers just as quickly, face shifting from a grin to a full-on smile. “Welcome aboard, Kira.”

When they leave port the day after, they finally give her something to do besides unloading cargo.

At sea, she gets to know the crew even better – no longer at a distance because they expect her to leave at the next port. She gets to know their quirks – Lydia’s perfect mental map of the stars, Liam’s clumsy feet, Erica’s encyclopedic knowledge of raunchy songs – and their backstories – Allison’s as she’d once asked about, Derek’s tragic history, and Jackson’s stories of real life lizard people.

And best of all – above the sea and her new friends – is Scott.

He’s as good a lover as he is a captain.

**Author's Note:**

> i mean idk if there are historical inaccuracies but i'm almost certain there are. hope you still enjoyed it though!
> 
> comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> [my tumblr](https://problematiquefics.tumblr.com/)


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